Native Habitat Inventory Final Report 2004 - St. Lucie County

• To identify and prioritize lands for preservation through on-site inventories and a
geographic information systems (GIS) based analysis. On-site inventories will
quantify, map, classify, and qualitatively assess the natural communities present.
The GIS analysis will assess landscape-level variables such as connectivity, patch
size, and other measures of ecological integrity.
The anticipated uses of the results of this survey and countywide natural community map
include:
• Project reviews
• Assessments of the vegetative and wildlife resources within the County
• Determination of mitigation necessary during future land development
• Identification of priority land acquisition areas
• Identification of future wetland mitigation sites
• Identification future wildlife corridors
• Identification of future blueways and greenways
• Identification of a wide range of protective conservation strategies
This project provides the County with a comprehensive ecological survey that identifies
and characterizes the vegetative communities and also assesses the ecological integrity of
these vegetative resources in the County.
Pandion Systems, Inc. in association with GIS Associates, Inc. initiated this study in
January 2003. An interim technical report (St. Lucie Native Habitat Inventory Final
Technical Report) was completed in April 2003. This report evaluated the losses in
native habitat since 1992 and identified the type and amount of natural areas (as of 2002)
protected through public or private conservation ownership or easements. During the
period of June to August 2003, on-site inventories were made of natural lands considered
suitable for preservation.
This report describes the methodology utilized in the study. It identifies the type and
acreage of habitat lost since 1992 and identifies the type and acreage of habitat in existing
conservation lands (state, county, and private). Priority sites for preservation are
identified and descriptions with detailed natural community classification maps for each
site are provided.
Natural Communities of St. Lucie County – Landscape and
Geographical Setting
St. Lucie County is located on the southeast coast of Florida. It is bounded on the north
by Indian River County and on the south by Martin County and to the west by
Okeechobee County. The County’s east coast is comprised of a series of barrier islands
separated from the mainland by the Indian River Lagoon.
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